Observation/Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher.
What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observation:
Today I observed classes in my high school placement. My CT had quite a bit going on all at once. NECAP testing had set back a few students and she was trying to catch everyone up. At the beginning of class she had some students making up quizzes and one student that was supposed to be catching up on the lab they had been doing. The rest of the class was supposed to be writing down the notes that were projected on the big TV screen. The students making up quizzes were well behaved and quickly got on task, took their quiz, and started taking the notes. The student that was supposed to be finishing up the lab sat at her seat with a microscope but didn’t actually do anything. She eventually asked my CT if she could come after school and do it. The students that were taking notes were pretty well behaved although there were a few that were off task. These students slowed down the note taking process because the notes couldn’t be advanced until they were all done copying them.
After she got them all caught up she went over the notes. The notes were meant as a review of the homework that they were supposed to have done the night before. While this was going on, the three girls in the back of the classroom that always seem off task were playing with foam sports wrap (used for wrapping injuries). These girls never seem to be doing what they are supposed to be doing. I have observed this class twice and I have not seen them do anything productive.
Then my CT gave a quiz pertaining to the notes and homework. Some students managed to fail this quiz even though she had just gone over the exact same material five minutes before they took the quiz, proving that she clearly did not have everybody’s attention. Upon finishing the quiz, they were told to fill out a worksheet on the cell. The same students that were disengaged earlier continued to do nothing. My CT did basically nothing to encourage them to do their work today. I think the crazy, hectic catch up day threw her off a little.
Reflection:
I have only been to this placement twice but I’ve not seen many strategies employed to keep students engaged. Hopefully, I will see more from her in weeks to come. They are not poorly behaved per se, they are just not on task and mostly disinterested. It seems to be the same students each week. I asked her today how come she didn’t move their seats. She said that one girl told her that she would completely shut down and not do anything if she moved her seat. I’m not sure I agree with this because I think breaking up that group may leave them with nothing else to do but the class work. The only downside I see to this is that they may start acting out and then she’d have to deal with more difficult behavioral issues.
In my middle school placement, my CT is constantly walking around and checking on students. When they get off task he uses a “hurried” strategy to light a fire under them. For example he will say “we only have tento finish this up so we can start (insert activity here) next class. Make sure you are getting everything done.” However, the middle school students are not off task often. I think his routine also helps keep them on task. They know what they are supposed to be doing and when they should be doing it. He also keeps them engaged with fun activities and labs that the student really seem to enjoy.
I will attempt to keep students engaged by establishing good routines early and sticking to them throughout the yea I will try to make things fun and relate the material to students in a way that is interesting and meaningful to them. Ultimately, I know I won’t get through to every student. I’m sure there will be times where there is nothing I can do to get students to be actively engaged in class. While engagement is important to me, I understand my CT’s desire to keep the peace. I don’t know those students as well as she does and I’m sure she is doing the best she can to try to get them working.
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher.
What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observation:
Today I observed classes in my high school placement. My CT had quite a bit going on all at once. NECAP testing had set back a few students and she was trying to catch everyone up. At the beginning of class she had some students making up quizzes and one student that was supposed to be catching up on the lab they had been doing. The rest of the class was supposed to be writing down the notes that were projected on the big TV screen. The students making up quizzes were well behaved and quickly got on task, took their quiz, and started taking the notes. The student that was supposed to be finishing up the lab sat at her seat with a microscope but didn’t actually do anything. She eventually asked my CT if she could come after school and do it. The students that were taking notes were pretty well behaved although there were a few that were off task. These students slowed down the note taking process because the notes couldn’t be advanced until they were all done copying them.
After she got them all caught up she went over the notes. The notes were meant as a review of the homework that they were supposed to have done the night before. While this was going on, the three girls in the back of the classroom that always seem off task were playing with foam sports wrap (used for wrapping injuries). These girls never seem to be doing what they are supposed to be doing. I have observed this class twice and I have not seen them do anything productive.
Then my CT gave a quiz pertaining to the notes and homework. Some students managed to fail this quiz even though she had just gone over the exact same material five minutes before they took the quiz, proving that she clearly did not have everybody’s attention. Upon finishing the quiz, they were told to fill out a worksheet on the cell. The same students that were disengaged earlier continued to do nothing. My CT did basically nothing to encourage them to do their work today. I think the crazy, hectic catch up day threw her off a little.
Reflection:
I have only been to this placement twice but I’ve not seen many strategies employed to keep students engaged. Hopefully, I will see more from her in weeks to come. They are not poorly behaved per se, they are just not on task and mostly disinterested. It seems to be the same students each week. I asked her today how come she didn’t move their seats. She said that one girl told her that she would completely shut down and not do anything if she moved her seat. I’m not sure I agree with this because I think breaking up that group may leave them with nothing else to do but the class work. The only downside I see to this is that they may start acting out and then she’d have to deal with more difficult behavioral issues.
In my middle school placement, my CT is constantly walking around and checking on students. When they get off task he uses a “hurried” strategy to light a fire under them. For example he will say “we only have tento finish this up so we can start (insert activity here) next class. Make sure you are getting everything done.” However, the middle school students are not off task often. I think his routine also helps keep them on task. They know what they are supposed to be doing and when they should be doing it. He also keeps them engaged with fun activities and labs that the student really seem to enjoy.
I will attempt to keep students engaged by establishing good routines early and sticking to them throughout the yea I will try to make things fun and relate the material to students in a way that is interesting and meaningful to them. Ultimately, I know I won’t get through to every student. I’m sure there will be times where there is nothing I can do to get students to be actively engaged in class. While engagement is important to me, I understand my CT’s desire to keep the peace. I don’t know those students as well as she does and I’m sure she is doing the best she can to try to get them working.